Niagara Wheatfield OKs contract with administrators

SANBORN – The Niagara Wheatfield School Board approved a three-year contract Wednesday with the Administrators Association that gives the 13 members a 2 percent salary hike but requires contributions toward health insurance costs.

The board voted 4-2 to accept the pact that runs until 2016 but involves no retroactive pay except for the current year, according to board president Steve Sabo. He said that the group has been working without a contract for four years and the back pay would have cost the district another $80,000.

Additional savings will result because the administrators will have to pay 5 percent toward health insurance costs, and the group accepted a less expensive coverage plan, he said.

Voting against the agreement were members Richard Sirianni and Amy Deull. Sirianni said he was displeased with how the contract was negotiated and suggested that there should have been a salary freeze for the first year.

The group includes all the building principals, an assistant principal, director of technology, and the director and assistant director of special education.

The board also discussed putting a special referendum up in the next few months to purchase new buses.

School Superintendent Lynn Fusco said the board had earmarked $500,000 of its fund balance last year to buy some buses, which run about $100,000 each. The purchases are reimbursed 75 percent by state aid, she said.

According to Allison Brady, school business administrator, Niagara Wheatfield owns 70 buses, two of which are out of service and six are under repair. She said about 53 buses are needed for the morning transportation run while 59 are required in the afternoon. About 14 of the buses have been determined to need new floors, she said.

The board is expected to review the cost of the purchase and set a date for the referendum at a future meeting.